The New Jersey Economic Development Authority is in the process of certifying the company's progress toward its goals, according to a NJEDA spokeswoman.

Through the end of September, Dr. Richard Barakat said MSK-Monmouth has seen 8,800 cancer patients and performed:

3,400 surgical consultations

435 operating room procedures

11,000 chemotherapy sessions

9,700 radiation treatments

16,500 imaging studies

“We knew we had many, many patients traveling all the way to New York City for those treatments," he said. "but I don’t think we expected it to be this busy this quickly.”

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A view from the second floor of the Memorial Sloan Kettering-Monmouth cancer treatment center.(Photo: File photo)

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority agreed to sell $145 million in bonds — in effect, a very low-cost loan — and to provide $7.9 million in tax credits over 10 years to persuade MSK to build in Middletown. The deal includes a second satellite care facility in Montvale.

The nonprofit was required to invest $20 million in the property, per the terms of the NJEDA arrangement. MSK's plan is to pour $64 million into the facility.

"We need to increase our capacity for radiation oncology and chemotherapy, we need to add or extend our hours and we're strongly considering adding a third linear accelerator," said Barakat, a physician who oversees all of MSK's branch facilities.

A linear accelerator is a radiation treatment machine that beams high-energy electrons into a precise location on a patient's body in order to kill cancer cells. Each one costs about $2.4 million, according to Modern Healthcare.

A linear accelerator is a radiation treatment machine that beams high-energy electrons into a precise location in order to kill cancer cells.(Photo: Matthew Brown / The Journal News)

What else is ahead for the Shore's newest cancer treatment center?

Barakat said MSK will be bringing Phase 1 trials to Middletown.

“That will allow patients in the area to have access to really novel therapies that are not widely available," he said. "In the past, these are treatments that patients would have had to come into the city to have.”

MSK-Monmouth, just like any of MSK's facilities outside of Manhattan, is limited in the specialties that it can offer on site, but Barakat said they are striving to limit a patient's trips into the city.

“Let's say you're seeing a specialist, a doctor in Manhattan because we don’t provide that specialty in Monmouth," Barakat said. "That doctor can write orders for you to have your treatment done locally. If you need a CT scan, you don’t go to Manhattan to get that CT scan, you can go to (MSK-)Monmouth.”

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The Community Firehouse Station No.4 on Appleton Ave. in Middletown hosted a Shave-A-Hero event to fight childhood cancer on Sat. July 29, 2017. Tim Simon (center/left) poses for a family photo with son Zachery 4 (left) and daughter Sydney 7 (right) after having his head shaved at the event.
ASB 0729 Shave a Hero G Frank Galipo

(NEWS) 07/29/17 Middletown, NJ
The Community Firehouse Station No.4 on Appleton Ave. in Middletown hosted a Shave-A-Hero event to fight childhood cancer on Sat. July 29, 2017. Chris Wankel 8 of Middletown shaves his dad John’s head under the guidance of Bill Verdone during the event.
ASB 0729 Shave a Hero H Frank Galipo

(NEWS) 07/29/17 Middletown, NJ
The Community Firehouse Station No.4 on Appleton Ave. in Middletown hosted a Shave-A-Hero event to fight childhood cancer on Sat. July 29, 2017. Tom Wankel 8 of Middletown shaves his dad John’s head under the guidance of Bill Verdone during the event.
ASB 0729 Shave a Hero I Frank Galipo

(NEWS) 07/29/17 Middletown, NJ
The Community Firehouse Station No.4 on Appleton Ave. in Middletown hosted a Shave-A-Hero event to fight childhood cancer on Sat. July 29, 2017. The Gorsegner Family from left; Dan
Hannah (10), Andrea and Natalie (7) are shown at the event.
ASB 0729 Shave a Hero K Frank Galipo

(NEWS) 07/29/17 Middletown, NJ
The Community Firehouse Station No.4 on Appleton Ave. in Middletown hosted a Shave-A-Hero event to fight childhood cancer on Sat. July 29, 2017. Chris Wankel 8 of Middletown got an itchy nose while having his head shaved during the event.
ASB 0729 Shave a Hero O Frank Galipo